1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates generally to non-destructive stun weapons, and, more particularly to a non-destructive stun type weapon that utilizes beamed electromagnetic RF energy (Lorentz Force) that disrupts the normal mechanical transduction process and/or the chemical engine by which sound, position and other sensory input are converted to messages by nerve cells and processed by the brain to produce complete disorientation and confusion to temporarily and remotely render a human powerless to resist arrest or subjugation.
2. Background Art
There is a long-felt need in the military and in law enforcement for a non-destructive stun type weapon that would remotely incapacitate a hostile war fighter, terrorist, or criminal suspect ineffective for a period of time without permanent damage.
The US military has achieved improved accuracy and the ability to target small objectives with precision that precludes widespread collateral damage. These improvements are in air-to-ground munitions as well as ground-to-ground weapons. This precise destruction of “hostile military targets” while allowing adjacent personnel and structures to survive with no damage has broadened the ability of political decision makers to respond with “measured response” force to threats of terror and hostile military actions. These responses are more politically acceptable since innocent civil casualties are kept at a minimum. The desirability of waging bloodless war to counter threats to national security is virtually limitless since both military and civil authority could determine a priori when and if loss of human life is necessary.
Clinical evidence demonstrates that hearing and equilibrium disruption may result from disease and side effects from medication. Considerable efforts are being made to better understand the mechanics of the inner ear so that effective treatments may be made available to counter the debilitating effects of mechanical and chemical disruption of normal human functions. However, the existence of these debilitating effects prove that chemical interruption of inner ear processes can produce effects that are desirable for a stun type weapon if they are not permanent.
The human vestibular system is remarkably sturdy under a variety of conditions. Yet, it has been proven vulnerable. Most of the time, the vestibular loss is transient. However, in some cases the loss is recurring, escalating and, ultimately, permanent. There are several levels at which the vestibular function can be affected: interference with the function of the central nervous system components of balance and the interruption of the hair cell's transduction process. The means to interfere with the nervous system would be to emulate, for example, the stimuli of the motion sickness, which can be quite debilitating. Visual stimulations such as virtual reality or virtual simulator sickness are also classed as disruption at the level of the central nervous system.
Various chemicals and drugs are known that disrupt the function of vestibular hair cells themselves. Calcium channel blockers interfere with normal function at the hair bundle level. Other drugs disrupt the synaptic and post-synaptic process. Yet other drugs cause death of the hair cell itself. The vestibulotoxic medications are also used to suppress vestibular function to treat vestibular disorders, such as vertigo and vestibular migraine. However, inducing chemical changes in the body without contact is not an easy path.
The normal operation of the cells of the ear, vestibular system, and the eye can also be disrupted by increasing or decreasing the magnitude of the static charge on the particular cell membranes to adversely affect its attraction to calcium (Ca) and/or potassium (K) ions and thereby impact the rate of ion flow and the ultimate pulse rate of the cells. Uncorrelated data would then be fed to the brain and the brain would have no basis for decoding, thereby creating disorientation.
Altering the normal electromagnetic field and subsequent surfaces charges on the tissues of the ear, vestibular system and the eye can change the impedance of their conduction capabilities, disturb the ion flow, and subsequently impact the pulse output of the cells to the brain. This interruption of normal ion flow would cause pulse patterns to the brain that it cannot decode, thereby creating disorientation.
The normal electrochemical balance of substantially all of the cells of the human body relative to the rest of the body fluids can be disrupted by altering the relative charge level to cause the cells to activate the protein doors or cation channels in the cell wall that allow unidirectional passage of negative charge sodium (Na) ions and the opposite passage of positively charged calcium (Ca) ions, thereby causing hyperactive chemical exchanges that can negatively impact the system and disrupt normal smooth and striated muscular functions.
The application of pulses of voltage directly to nerve paths can also feed uncorrelated sensory input data to the brain that would ultimately produce some level of disorientation.
It is well known in the field of physics that electromagnetic radio frequency energy can actually excite physical movement in devices that are tuned to sympathetic resonance, and certain resonant structures can respond to and demodulate high frequency radio carrier energy.
The present invention is distinguished over the prior art in general by an electromagnetic personnel interdiction control (EPIC) non-destructive stun type weapon and method that utilizes beamed electromagnetic RF energy (Lorentz Force) to excite and interrupt the normal process of human hearing, equilibrium and other senses to produce complete disorientation and confusion. This is accomplished by: (1) interruption of the mechanical transduction process by which sound, position (relative to gravity) and other sensory input is converted to messages that are processed by the brain; and (2) interruption of the chemical engine which sustains the proper operation of nerve cells that respond to the mechanical transduction mechanisms. Interruption of either or both of these processes produces complete disorientation and confusion sufficient to temporarily and remotely render a human powerless to resist arrest or subjugation.
The present invention provides a minimum destruction weapon that can temporarily incapacitate a human threat as a point or area target and will operate through walls and other protective mediums that now provide cover for combatants in urban warfare situations. It provides an individual soldier or law enforcement officer with the ability to reduce an opponent to helplessness from a remote location while doing no permanent damage. Such a weapon has significant utility for use by military units in an assault situation, allowing them to remotely subdue and capture hostile war fighters, terrorists, and large numbers of prisoners that would result from the “stun and restrain” tactic. The damage of friendly fire mistakes would be minimized since no permanent damage would be done by the stun weapon. Used in “special operations” raid scenarios, the prisoner issues would not be critical since the raid would be in and out before the complete recovery of stunned combatants. It also has significant utility for use by law enforcement personnel, allowing them to remotely incapacitate criminal suspects or rioters from a remote location and render them ineffective for a period of time without permanent damage.